Hard to Give Up the Past
by q-spot
Summary: Dean's children come from the future to deliver a warning via a spell. The future is falling apart, and they need his help. Rated M for language/violence.
1. The Past is Always Tense

**First story on here. Hopefully the summary explained a little bit about what this is. Dean's children from the future come with a warning...**

* * *

"Mase, Lee, come here!" Claire called, grabbing the closest blade and sliding it across her palm, hissing quietly.

The two slid into the dungeon as she was finishing painting the sigil made of her blood and various herbs on the wall. Mason began asking questions, but she held a hand up, stopping him midsentence. She picked up the letter she had finished on the typewriter in the other room moments before, blood smearing across it; there was no time for a new one. She folded it and placed it in Mason's hand, smiling at her oldest.

"It's time," she pulled them both into her arms, taking turns kissing their cheeks.

"Already?" Mason whispered, arms still around his sister and mother.

"Yes, I wish there was more time, but the monsters are close. You two need to go," she pulled away from them, "I love you two both, so much. I know this is scary, but… You'll do great."

"Mom-" he started to protest.

"There's no more time to discuss, Mason! We've been preparing for weeks. It's now or never," she interrupted. She scooped up the spell she found folded in a file weeks before. She had been forming this plan since she discovered it.

She read the words quickly, stumbling and stuttering. When the sigil began to glow bright white, the bunker door was ripped open upstairs. She placed her hands on both children and shoved them into the light, sending a prayer up to whoever was left to listen.

* * *

Sam and Dean were in the War Room, leafing through an ancient book or twelve, when a bright light filled the room. Dean immediately grabbed for his gun, while Sam snatched up his. A gust of wind knocked the brothers to the floor.

Dean landed just beside the table, still able to see the glowing orb in front of him. He was frantically squinting into the light, searching for a source. A list of possible monsters ran through his head. _Angel? Demon? Shit, at this point, it could be anything._

Sam's hair was smoothed back, eyes nearly closed from hitting the wall and knocking his head. When the wind and light began to die down, Dean was the first to see the outline of two people. He cocked his gun, jumping to his feet, just as the light was dissipating.

Mason's vision had been clouded since he and his sister had been heaved through the…well, through whatever it was his mother had written on the wall. When the haze left him, he saw the two men in front of them. He was quick to step in front of his sister, letter in his hand floating to the floor as he held his palms up to the man with the gun.

"Hey, calm down! We're not here to fight!" Mason's eyes were wide, anxiously switching from the two.

"Sam?" Dean didn't look back as he asked his brother if he was okay.

"Yeah, yeah, 'm good," he mumbled, struggling to his feet.

Dean nodded curtly, demanding from the two in front of him, "Who are you?"

"Alright, alright, I'm Mason, this is my sister, Melody," Mason slowly lowered his hands.

"Why are you here?" Dean was still pointing his gun at the two but less tense, noting neither were a real threat.

"Our mom sent us; we, uh," Mason paused, fatigue hitting him in a huge wave. He had time to glance back at his sister to see her faint just before he hit the floor as well.

* * *

Melody was first to wake up, hurriedly sitting up from the bed she was in. She tried to move her arms but found them handcuffed above her. She let out a frightened squeak, searching for Mason in the room but not finding him. The room was familiar, somehow. Maybe if there was some jungle wall paper border on the tops and bottoms of the wall and a few framed pictures of jungle animals it could have been her childhood bedroom.

She trembled as the door to the bedroom swung open, forcing her out of her thoughts. She backed up against the bed frame, sucking in a deep breath. Sam eyed the girl closely, shoving his gun into the back of his pants before entering the room. He held his hands up, softly saying, "It's alright. My names Sam; can you tell me why you're here, Melody?"

She shook her head furiously, yanking on her hands again. Sam shuffled, irritated. He took another step towards her, "Melody, you need to tell me why you're here."

She just shook her head again. Sam sighed before pulling the letter Mason had dropped earlier out of his pocket. He smoothed it out in front of her, pointing to it, "Can you tell me what this is supposed to mean?"

It was the first time Melody had seen the letter. She raked her eyes over it, eyes sliding over the words and blood.

_5/2/2040_

_Dean,_

_This is going to be hard to understand. I wish I could send them to a different time, a time when you know them...and me. But I can't. It's too close. It's too dangerous._

_I don't have much time to explain. Those things are close._

_Mason and Melody will have to explain most of it. Listen to them, and trust them. I know that will be hard for you. They know very little about you and even less about hunting. Keep them safe, please._

_And remember Yellow._

_Love you always,_

_Claire_

Melody hesitantly held up her still restricted hand, signing the letters 'M-O-M'. Sam's clearly confused face was enough for her to know he had no idea what she was trying to communicate. She huffed in frustration and tried her best to mime a pen. Sam was tentative as he rummaged through his pocket for the handcuff keys. He let her right hand out and handed her the pen he had found in his pocket also.

She accepted it and flipped the letter over. In gracious handwriting she wrote a small explanation.

_I'm deaf. I can't hear you. This letter is from my mother. Where is Mason?_

Sam's face flushed, suddenly feeling self conscious for not realizing she was signing to him. He had read a few ASL books while at Stanford. Jess had had a deaf cousin who visited often. He didn't know much, but he faintly recalled some of the alphabet. He gently took the pen from her hand and scribbled an answer.

_He's safe. You both are. This date has to be wrong. It's 2014._

_It will sound crazy. Mason will be better at explaining. I need to see him._

_Just try._

_Mason and I are from 2040. Our mom sent us back to tell our father about the year. She found a spell. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth._

Sam stared at her for a few moments before taking the letter and pen with him as he left the room. Melody began trying to yank her hand free of the cuff; Sam had freed her of one already. By the time the door opened again, Melody had succeeded in nothing but making her wrist red and tender. She was pleased to see Mason come in the door instead of Sam.

Mason quickly sat next to her on the bed and signed, 'Are you okay?'

'Yes, where are they? Are we okay?'

'Let me free you. I will explain everything.'

Mason set to unlocking her cuff; Sam had given him the key. When she was free, she rubbed her wrist while Mason explained. While Sam had been 'interrogating' her, Dean had been questioning him. Mason managed to explain and convince Dean that they were, indeed, from 2040. His fast forward in time earlier in his life allowed him to be a little less skeptical about time travel.

Dean, however, was very skeptical about them being his children. Mason was finding it difficult to prove it to him, because he had never paid attention when his mother told stories about his father and uncle. Mason was explaining how important it was that Melody try to retell some of the stories their mother had told her to Dean and Sam, when there was a knock on the door.

Mason got up to open the door and gestured for Melody to follow him out. They sat down at the War Room table, across from Sam and Dean. Mason signed, 'Can you tell them some things Mom told you?'

Melody nodded and began signing quickly. While she signed, Mason translated to the men, "Mom stopped telling stories when I turned sixteen. She said it hurt too much to remember you," Melody's eyes were fixed on Dean as she signed; Mason watched his sister closely, not missing a word as he continued to speak, "She told me about your obsession with pie and your car. She said you called it your baby and treated it with the same respect you would a classy lady," Melody had a faint smile on her lips as she signed.

"She told me my Uncle Sam was a Stanford student for awhile, and he had his eyes on a pretty girl named Jess. Mom said she would have loved to meet her. She only saw pictures," Sam tensed up at the mention of Jessica but didn't interrupt.

"We live in this place, actually. I'm surprised it looks so similar to what we have. Mom never wanted to change anything. She didn't explain what it meant, but she said it use to belong to the Men of Letters," Melody paused.

"Anyways, it was always stories about little things. She never told me anything about hunting. Mason and I had to find that out on our own. We found our grandfather's journal; Mom was pissed we were snooping around. Then we," Melody had paused, her hands pausing.

Mason reached a hand out to her shoulder, 'It's okay. Go on.'

She nodded, "Then we found our dad's journal. Or, I guess, your journal, Dean. Mason didn't want to read it. He didn't really remember much of you. I was curious to learn about the man I never knew. I was surprised to see it was nothing about the supernatural. It was all advice. Advice for his kids. It was all about how to get the ladies, treat them right, know the difference between a keeper and a one night stand for Mason. And for me, it was about never letting a guy treat me wrong, getting an education, and never to rely on a man to support me. I never told Mason about it, or Mom for that matter. I thought it would make them mad."

And, in fact, Mason was angry. Angry she had kept such things from him and angry Dean wasn't there to tell it all to him himself. Melody didn't know what else to say so her hands had fallen to her lap. Dean and Sam were quiet until finally Dean shifted, saying, "What's Yellow mean?"

Melody was quiet, and Mason had no clue. Dean laughed, crossing his arms across his chest, "So the one clue your "mom" gives to me to remember her, and you two don't even know what it means?"

Mason didn't sign for Melody this time, but she could see the sarcasm in Dean's body. She reached for the letter that was thrown in the middle of the table, the pen on top of it, and quickly scribbled out a few sentences. She shoved the paper across the table to Dean, so he could read her writing.

_Yellow is the song you hear when you see her the first time. And it's the song you dance to at your wedding. And it's the song she plays when you die._

Dean was quiet while he read the few lines. He looked up and over at Melody, merely nodding. He folded the piece of paper up and slid it into his jacket, not letting the other two see it. It was still in the room until Dean blurted, "How did you, uh… Y'know?"

Melody was used to this question. It brought a sad smile to her lips while Mason answered for her, "She suffered from a severe case of meningitis when she was a baby. She's never, um, heard anything, really. Some people can speak, even though they can't hear. She never really learned how to speak, so her vocal cords have a lot of damage."

Abruptly, Dean hopped up from his chair and left the room. Both children knew where he was headed, being there only one room that way – the kitchen. Neither Melody or Mason said anything, but before Sam got up to follow his brother, Sam signed, 'Thank you'.

* * *

While the two men were gone, Melody and Mason ventured through the bunker. In 2040, it is their home. Melody sleeps in the room she woke up in, her jungle theme still intact from when she was a baby. Mason sleeps in the room that once was Sam's. It's bare, clean and uniform, just as Sam left it. Their mother sleeps in Dean's room, all of his decorations hung up and framed.

It was weird for the children to see things so similar, yet so different. The most different and frightening thing was the technology, especially when they wandered into Sam's room and spotted his cell phone. Mason was first to pick it up, and when it began ringing in his hand, he nearly dropped it. They found the dungeon behind the walls and were surprised to find it the same as they had it in 2040. Demon warding doesn't really change, though.

By the time they were back in the War Room, Dean and Sam were back with another man in tow.

"Are these the children you told me about, Dean?" Castiel questioned

Dean merely nodded his head. Castiel took a step towards Mason and Melody, eyes switching between the two. Mason looked towards Sam and Dean when Castiel took another step forward. Sam encouragingly said, "It's alright; he's a friend."

Castiel stared at Melody, right through Mason, and Melody 'heard' Castiel say, '_You lost your hearing when you were a baby.'_

Melody didn't say anything, or sign anything for that matter. She stared at Castiel, head cocked the side, and nodded. He continued, _'Do you wish for me to fix your hearing?'_

At her nod, he took another step forward. Mason quickly stepped between the two, but when Melody placed a hand on his arm, he moved to the side. Castiel pressed his two fingers to her forehead, her eyes fluttering close. In a matter of a few moments of blinding pain, Melody opened her eyes again. Instead of inside her head, this time she watched Castiel's lips move and she _heard_ him say, "Is that better?"

Melody's eyes immediately began to well up with tears. Mason grabbed her arm and turned accusatory eyes on Castiel, "What did you do?"

"I fixed her hearing," Castiel answered, perplexed at the hostility from Mason.

"You what?" Mason balked, turning to his sister. "Lee?"

"I-I," Melody swallowed quickly.

"I should…" Castiel reached forward and pressed his fingers to her throat.

Melody swallowed thickly once more before forcing out the words, "Th-ank y-ou."

"What are you?" Mason demanded.

"My name is Castiel, and I am an angel of the Lord," Castiel smiled smugly, stepping back to Dean, proud of himself.

"Thank you, Cass," Dean muttered under his breath.

Melody was hesitant to speak, but she stuttered out, "W-why?"

"Because," Dean chose his words carefully, "Because if you are my kid, then I want to help you. And having an angel at my fingertips that can fix," he gestured towards her, "then why not?"

"She wasn't broken," Mason interjected.

"I didn't mean it like that—"

"I underst-stand," Melody cut off his rambling. She gave him a small smile, signing 'thank you' before she could stop herself.

"How, how do I say 'you're welcome'?" he asked her.

She showed him the gesture, and he copied her. Mason watched their interaction from the side, pissed. He coughed, bringing attention back to himself, "We need to talk."


	2. Troglodyte

Melody could see her brother was struggling, struggling to accept this man as a parent when both children had relied on their mom for so long. Melody had no memories of her father, but she imagined Mason had a few. He had to have at least one from when he was younger. Melody itched to ask her brother but knew she should keep quiet.

Mason, Sam and Dean had sat back down at the war table, but Melody chose to stay standing, wanting the freedom to explore the bunker and the various differences in her home and her dad and uncle's. She noted Castiel had disappeared from the room.

She listened in as Mason began to explain the situation in 2040, "Mom didn't want to tell us much, but like Lee said, after we found the, uh, journal or whatever, she had to spill," Mason sighed, dragging a hand across his face as he looked anywhere but at the two men across from him, "Sometime this year you meet my mom, and a couple of years later you have me by accident. I do know Mom and you never really wanted to raise kids in this shit. Then Melody came three years later, and I'm not so sure she wasn't an accident, too. Things don't really start to go downhill until she is born; there's no correlation as far as I know," Mason laughed to himself at his sister's disgruntled sound of protest to his suggestion.

"I guess it all started with this demon, uh, Crowley, he promised you some help with killing a different demon way back when, and you got this mark—"

"The Mark of Cain," Melody interrupted, holding a long sword in her hand that she doubted was even sharp—okay, never mind, definitely sharpened.

Mason shot her a look, and she promptly mimed locking her lips after placing the sword back where it belonged. He continued, "Yeah, that. You get the Mark of Cain and go all crazy and shit. When you meet Mom, she helps Unc—er, Sam cure you, I guess. She never went into depth about how with me."

Melody was running her fingers across a row of books, murmuring the titles to herself and feeling the binding. Mason rolled his eyes, knowing how big of a book junkie his sister is, "Anyways, they cured you, and then they had to get the First Blade back from Crowley to get the Mark off of you, but the thing didn't want to give it up. He figured if he gave it up, you guys would kill him off. He found a way to open Purgatory, which I hear you guys have dealt with some things from there before, but this time, a lot more than freaks afraid of dish cleaner came out."

Both brothers sucked in harsh breaths, Dean grumbling, "Crowley."

"What he didn't anticipate was the things not wanting to follow orders, or maybe he knew exactly what was going to happen. I don't know. That's when the shit storm really started, though. They tore into demons, angels, people. Anything they could get their claws, fangs, whatever into. And they had a huge hit out on the famous Winchester Brothers," Mason said this with more than a little indignation in his voice. "Mom didn't talk about Sam's death; she didn't really talk about yours either, I guess.

"They found out where we were hiding; we had just lost touch with our last Hunter-contacts. This place is real sturdy against demons, angels, werewolves and vampires, even leviathans with the right amount of cleaning, but it can't protect us from the creepy shit that came out of there. They were…they were breaking in when Mom sent us here," Mason was picking at his nails; Melody had stopped her discovering.

"So you don't know how we die?" Dean asked.

Mason kept quiet, deep in thought about his mother still, so Melody ventured over and answered softly, "I know Sam is first, and I think Mom said it was the Mark that actually did you in, Dean, not a monster."

It was the first time Sam spoke when he said, "It's the Mark?"

"Yeah," Melody nodded. "It does a lot more than just make you bloody-thirsty and a kick ass fighter. It sucks out your life force and does crazy damage to your soul. That's why Mom has to cure you—"

Dean barked out a laugh, "You guys keep talking about her "curing" me. Curing me of what?"

"You turned into a demon," Melody supplied, "Full fledged, black eyed, soul-hungry demon. But she helped cure you; it almost killed her. I guess you guys bonded, or something."

"How did I just _turn into a demon_?" Dean demanded.

Melody shrugged and Mason shook his head, "I don't know either, honestly. It has to do with that mark, though."

"Living, breathing people don't just turn into demons!" Dean denied.

Melody shrugged once more, placing a hand on her brother's shoulder, "If you didn't turn into a demon, and the world wasn't going to end, why would our mom send us back here?"

"Maybe she got something wrong," Dean offered, shoving away from the table.

"Well, she lived through it. I'm sure that kind of thing isn't something you just confuse," Mason was angry, eyes lit up and ready for an argument, much like how Dean was poised. "Especially not when it almost kills you!"

Melody took her hand from her brother's shoulder, taking a step back. She watched as Mason hopped up from his chair, "Do you think we _want_ to be here? We don't even know you!"

"Yeah, well, I didn't ask for this," Dean muttered, raking harsh eyes over the two. "I didn't ask for kids, let alone some chick to shove them into my life like this."

Melody was chewing on her lip, stepping farther back. Sam moved towards his brother, starting, "Dean, this is hard on everyone—"

"Shut it, Sam," Dean snapped, gaze never wavering from Mason. "What are you going to do, kid? You gonna hit me? Do it!"

Mason had rounded the table; he stood in front of his father. This was the first time Dean had an opportunity to take in the kid…_his_ kid. Mason was tall like Sam but bulky like his father. He had sandy blonde hair that he was attuned to running his hand through. His clenched hands hung idly by his side, and it was then that Dean noticed how alike Mason was dressed to himself.

It was true; Mason had picked up his clothing style from his father. As he grew older, Dean's old clothes were all he could fit in. His mom offered to buy him new clothes, but he knew that wasn't really an option. Hunting doesn't pay in anything Walmart accepts for currency.

"Mason," Melody spoke up, and when he didn't move at her voice, she moved up behind him quickly, pressing her thumb into his wrist. It was something she had done since she was little to let him know she was behind him – she had always been light on her feet.

Mason's hands unclenched, and he abruptly turned from Dean, storming off to the room that will be his, slamming the door. Dean grabbed his jacket off the back of his chair and pounded up the stairs to the front door, slamming it as well. Melody looked to Sam, sighing.

Sam rolled his eyes, flopping in his chair, "It's like having two Deans."

"Well, knowing Mase, he's going to sit in his room, and be pissed, and then he'll be out here just fine. I suggest we wait until he calms down, before we try to talk to him about any plans," Melody offered, breaking the growing silence.

"Dean's the same; when he gets back from the bar, I'm sure he'll be willing to cooperate. Until then, I'm going to get back to researching where Metatron is. We've been looking for him for awhile, so we can get Cas in control of the reins up there," Sam explained, reaching for his laptop.

Melody stared at Sam, taking a slow blink before saying, "I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"Your mom never told you about Metatron? Or how he wants to take over Heaven? I feel like that would be an important part of history, right?"

Melody shrugged, "It never came up. I guess the whole running for our lives every day and avoiding monsters that want to eat our faces and souls kind of took precedent over some back story. I imagine there is a lot I don't know."

"I imagine there is, Melody," Sam agreed.

"Call me Lee," she began, taking the seat next to him. "That's what my family calls me."

Sam had a glimmer of a smile on his lips as he said, "Alright, Lee."

There was a pause in the conversation before Sam mumbled, "Twenty."

"Hmm?" Melody looked over at him.

"You're twenty," he repeated.

"Yeah, Mase is twenty-three," Melody scratched at the wooden table.

"Do you, uh, remember anything about me or Dean?" Sam asked, nonchalantly opening his laptop and shaking his mouse to wake his computer.

Melody slowly shook her head, "No. I'm willing to bet Mase does, though. He was five when Dean died. I think you were gone before I was born."

Sam nodded solemnly, so Melody said, "But, if it's any constellation, I talked to you a lot. Mom and Dean buried you behind the bunker. I would go out there and talk to you about what was going on with the family, the monsters. I kept you updated. Mase always thought it was weird that I went out there and sat by your headstone; he didn't know I was talking to you."

Melody could see Sam's eyes were wet; she pretended not to notice as she hopped up and went back to the large bookshelf. She resumed reading the titles and searching for something. Sam watched her for a few moments, wondering about this Claire and if it was possible that his brother would turn into a demon.

* * *

It was at least an hour before Mason finally left "his" room. Melody has found the book she had been searching for. It was the same book she had used for her research in 2040. It was an encyclopedia of Purgatory creatures but in Latin. Before she was old enough to enroll in school, the education system fell. With no one really telling her _not_ to, she decided Latin was as good as any language to learn. By the time she was five or six she was fluent in ASL, and when she turned 16, she was translating the Men of Letters' oldest texts.

Her favorite had been the one about the Purgatory creatures; it came in handy when a new species would poke its head out into the world.

Melody was flipping through the pages, pointing out creatures to Sam, when Mason poked his head back in the room. Melody had her finger on a picture of a troglodyte, saying, "See, they're these lizard things. They can't be in light very long because most of their eye is pupil, so they're really sensitive."

"Really dumb, too," Mason added, taking a seat at the table.

"Yeah, the last one I saw fell right into an uncovered hole in the woods. It was crazy," Melody agreed, closing the book.

There was a few moments of silence before Mason asked, "Have you, uh, heard from Dean?"

"Nope," Melody sighed, tilting back in her chair.

"You're gonna fall," Mason said.

"No, I'm not," she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," he huffed. "What have you two been doing? And, uh, where's the other guy? Cas?"

"Sam has been researching Metatron's whereabouts; he thinks he has a lead. Cas disappeared during your little spat with Dean," Melody grabbed the edge of the table to pull her chair upright.

"What's a metatron?"

Sam snickered, shaking his head, "I still can't believe your mom didn't mention Metatron; it's just so…bizarre!"

"What is it?" Mason repeated, intrigued.

"It's some angel that wants to take over Heaven, because God has gone AWOL. Sam and Dean want to make Cas President of the Cherub Club. I guess Metatron has something to do with the Crowley and Mark of Cain business."

Before Mason could answer with an equally witty response, the front door to the bunker slammed open. Dean pounded down the stairs, shouting, "Sam, a little help here!"

Sam shoved his chair back, quickly racing to the entryway to see his brother carrying a passed out woman in his arms. He followed Dean into one of the spare bedrooms and watched him slowly lower her onto the bed. Sam looked between the unconscious woman and Dean and exclaimed, "Dean, what happened!"

"I don't know!" Dean admitted, running a hand through his hair. "I was at the bar nearby, and I met her, and we left together. I-I was just going to give her a ride home, I swear! She got in the car, and she just started shaking. Sam, I have no idea what happened."

Dean looked like he was nearly in tears. Sam nodded to himself, "Alright, okay. But why didn't you take her to a hospital, Dean?"

"C'mon, dude, you know the closest hospital is at least 45 minutes out! I figured—I hoped Cas would be here to help. He has to…" Dean trailed off.

"I'll call Cas; you stay with her in case she wakes up," Sam instructed, walking out of the room, almost bumping into Melody and Mason who stood next to the room.

"What happened?" Melody asked as Mason questioned, "Who is that?"

"I don't know," Sam confessed. "Just-just stay out of the room. She needs space. Have either of you seen my cell phone?"

"If a cell phone is that black thing that beeped at us earlier, it's on your dresser in your room," Mason supplied, receiving a weirded-out look from Sam.

As soon as Sam disappeared, Melody popped her head inside the room. She couldn't see much except for Dean on his knees beside a woman in the bed. She frowned, glancing back to say something to Mason only to find his face right next to hers. She jumped, but repressed the gasp on the edge of her lips Mason held a finger up to his lips, pulling her back away from the doorway.

"Do you think...?" Mason whispered

"Do I think he killed her?" Melody quirked an eyebrow. At Mason's nod, Melody shrugged, "Maybe she's a demon or something."

Sam was rounding the corner again, phone against his ear, "Alright, Cas, see you soo—"

Before he could finish, Castiel was standing in the hallway. He barely looked at the two kids before he marched into the bedroom and asked, "What happened?"

Dean just shook his head, "Can you help her?"

Castiel pressed his two fingers to her forehead, closing his eyes, "She has a tumor; a rather large one, at that. I will try to heal her, but I am not sure my powers are well enough to mend this kind of damage."

"Just try, Cas," Dean urged.

Castiel stood there for a few seconds, his fingers emitting a strong, golden light. Melody and Mason stood just outside of the doorway, still not able to see the woman. It wasn't long before the woman gasped, shooting forward in the bed, demanding, "What's going on?"

Before Sam or Dean could say anything, Mason and Melody gasped in unison, "Mom?"

* * *

**I'm sorry for the incredibly long wait. I had kind of given up on this story, but the message I received from chillywinterbreeze gave me the inspiration I needed to continue. Thanks for sticking around.**


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